Although it is not well understood, it is recognized that acupressure is an effective technique for relieving pain and discomfort. For example, it is known that the application of controlled pressure to what are referred to as the LI4 points of the hands, located in the fleshy area between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, can be very effective in relieving headaches, as well as earaches and toothaches. The appropriate amount of pressure and the exact location of the points to which pressure is applied for most effective treatment varies from person to person. Although relief can be achieved through the application of pressure to one hand at a time, it has been found to be much more effective to apply pressure to both hands simultaneously. It can also be effective to vary the amount of pressure applied during a treatment session, rather than continuously maintaining the same pressure.
Often, pressure is applied to one person's hands by another person. Unfortunately, a second person is not always available to perform this service. Although a person can use one of his or her hands to apply pressure to the other hand, this approach is less effective for several reasons, including the fact that pressure can be applied to only one hand at a time.
Several types of devices intended for applying pressure to the LI4 acupressure point are known in the prior art. In one approach a glove-like device is used to elastically hold and press relatively hard projections against the hand from both sides. The primary disadvantages of this approach include difficulty in adjusting the placement of the device for proper alignment of the projections, and difficulty in controlling the pressure that is applied. In another approach a clamp-like device is used to hold projections against the hand, and the amount of pressure applied is increased or decreased with a threaded screw arrangement. This type of device can be cumbersome or difficult to move around on the hand to find the appropriate point for the application of pressure, and adjusting the amount of pressure with the threaded screw requires a user to frequently move the threaded screw with the other hand. This type of device cannot effectively be used on both hands simultaneously, since it is difficult, if not impossible, to place and adjust a second device using the hand to which a first device has already been applied.
There remains an unfilled need for an acupressure device that allows a single person to apply selected and adjustable pressure to the LI4 acupressure points of both of his or her own hands simultaneously.